[Danny Richie]

FYI, we have some really nice diffusors being made right now and will be launching them in 2025. Prices will be great, and dollar for dollar the best option out there. Pictures and stuff will be coming soon too.

[TRADERXFAN]

Nice. Great news...

- def deserves a new thread/announcement there

[Danny Richie]

Nice. Great news...

- def deserves a new thread/announcement there

When we actually take delivery then we'll post something.

This is a bunch of CNC, hotwire cut foam, similar to what you see in HAL's picture.

The real cost in having this stuff made is the shipping cost. Having the foam sent to where it is cut isn't about the material cost only, but getting it there. Then having it shipped from there to here is another huge cost. Then shipping from here to you.... It really adds up.

This stuff ships by dimensional weight and not actual weight. So a truck load is s truck load even if it's light.

We found a company that makes the foam near where it is cut (in Dallas). I am then driving down with a huge enclosed trailer and picking it up. So the only significant shipping cost is sending it out to the customers.  

The shipping costs savings is really helping to keep the cost down.

[TRADERXFAN]

Need a hub model with production in the high pop centers...

[jmimac351]

"Life Stuff" is a heavy lift right now, but I have several boxes of the slat wall from Amazon.  A little over $200 for a large amount, like the picture of QRD diffusers.  30% off for the color that would work as we plan to do floors and some paint.  Obviously very different between the two. 

Thinking of just seeing how it looks... it'll help, but I think it may also do a few other things:

- With the vertical slats, I can cut 20 gauge aluminum about 4'x2' and "tuck the sides into the slats left / right" and bend it out to form a vertical poly.
- The vertical slats could be handy for easily R&R foam as well... screw into / play with that stuff instead of putting more holes in drywall - just because.
- I had another idea that, if it works well / if it looks interesting / if She likes it, perhaps have the aluminum anodized in the same "high sheen aluminum color" that my amps / preamp are finished with.  I thought that might be a nice touch - and it may really like a little light cast against it in the evening.  I guess one can work to hide the diffusion, or if you like it - it's a "purpose built thing"

I also planned to order some of the Mr T Foam diffusers, but I'll hold some horses on that. I thought of playing with vertical slats / poly / foam diffusion... move stuff around and see what tastes good.  I won't have to be "fully committed" to a cumbersome / heavy / expensive solution, until I have no other choice if I want it.

[jmimac351]

Well, I ordered a couple boxes of this stuff and it showed up yesterday:

PI Audio ABB1 Mr. 'T' Hemispherical Radiation:  47.5" X 23.5" X 6" - Perfect for open baffle use: Unpainted / Box of 2 pairs (M & F)

I also have some of the "Amazon slat wall stuff" sitting here that I haven't gotten to... because it's a friggin' project and I got a million of them; however, I have found the "Bezos Boxes" make nice little test stands for the foam.  I think I'm going to give the slat wall stuff back to Jeff Bezos and will not use any of it. 

I am glad I got this foam... I'm already experiencing it and it's just propped up.  I really like how it's featherlight and I can move it around easily and just "rig it up and see...".  The center one is balanced on an empty box... that's how lightweight this stuff is, and how unconcerned I am about it hurting anything sitting there even if it fell over.  I really like that about it.

Need to be careful handling it. 

There are a few ideas for how to mount it, but I think I am going to mount each piece to Coroplast (yard sign material), so it has some support, and so I am touching / handling the Coroplast instead of the foam.  They are 2'x4'.

New Plan... Cake and Eat it too:

- I have 8 of these, may only need 6 right now.  I'm not sure I am going to mount anything permanently... we can paint / redo front wall for appearance, and I can easily place treatment in or out... it's there, it's not there... whatever / whenever.

- I may mount 2 pieces end to end to make two (2) 2'x8' tall pieces.  Mounted to Coroplast and trimmed around the sides as well with Coroplast, so the foam is contained / protected back and all sides.  That will easily just sit on the floor with a slight lean against the wall left and right.  I can pick that up and make it all go away, upon request (which may never happen).  "We will see how she likes it, and it's not permanent."

- I may mount 2 pieces in the square layout for the Center.  Probably also mounted the same way as the left / right pieces, with some soft hanger (maybe made of soft foam itself) and it will just hang on the TV.  That can be R&R in seconds.

So, that's the current plan... and I am real happy I went this foam route.

Why do I need 2 pieces that are 8' tall?  Because there are going to be 7' tall speakers there pretty soon.   

[VinceT]

FYI, we have some really nice diffusors being made right now and will be launching them in 2025. Prices will be great, and dollar for dollar the best option out there. Pictures and stuff will be coming soon too.

Great news, there is a need for a completivley priced product to disrupt this sector of the audio market. Trucking costs are low this time of year, rates are super cheap right now.

[jmimac351]

So, I was thinkin'... "geez... there are windows on that entertainment center I'd like to burn in the backyard, and I have another piece handy..."  I can make all of this go away in 45 seconds, maybe (if I'm not careful with it). 

If you take 2 of these and put them together in a ~4'x4' square, that forms the center square diffusion piece common in GR videos.

This is 1 box of this stuff - "2 pairs".  I am still really happy to go with foam instead of the wood route, I can do stupid stuff like this and then something crazy - Listen.

Ole Kenny Rogers sez "It's the wood that makes it good."  However, "It's the foam that makes it roam!" 

[AllanS]

Well, I ordered a couple boxes of this stuff and it showed up yesterday:

PI Audio ABB1 Mr. 'T' Hemispherical Radiation:  47.5" X 23.5" X 6" - Perfect for open baffle use: Unpainted / Box of 2 pairs (M & F)

Given a similar setup and for the same reasons, I have something very similar in mind if/when I decide to take one last shot at treatments.  If they actually provide audible improvements I’d be tempted to frame and cover them similar to the GIK 242 you can barely see on the RH side wall.
Unfortunately the Guilford of Maine fabric is no longer available so I’d have to repurpose some of the other traps.   

[corndog71]

ATS Acoustics sells that fabric.

[BGA]

I've used this fabric a lot in my theatre as the back is flat black with no shine. I like the look of it better than regular grill fabric. I covered my GIK scatter plates with it and it looks nice on the wall.

https://www.rosebrand.com/product800/102-Black-Speaker-Cloth-FR.aspx?tid=2&info=speaker

Al

[jmimac351]

Thanks fellas.

So moving the side diffusers down and covering that bottom spot really seems to have unlocked the Magic.  I think some shenanigans are going on down low / bare wall area.  Putting another pair to go up won't hurt with the other speakers.  I'll also work in a second one for the tv and make it a large square, centered to hang on the TV.

I am very happy with this stuff.  And it's been so easy to move around, experiment.  I suspect whatever Danny is coming out with will be great as well, and just as handy to move around. 

Dave Elledge spent a lot of time with me about this stuff, and I really appreciate it. 

[g3rain1]

One of the advantages of OB bass is it eliminates 1 room mode (side to side). 

Really? Because I have a gigantic hole at 43Hz which exactly correlates to my room width and won't go away no matter how I position my speakers and subs. All OB.

[corndog71]

Really? Because I have a gigantic hole at 43Hz which exactly correlates to my room width and won't go away no matter how I position my speakers and subs. All OB.

Bass traps might help.

[jmimac351]

Every day I like the foam stuff I got more and more.  It's just so easy to handle and I know I can make it all disappear in seconds. 

It has had a nice effect on tightening things up, including bass.  I'm listening to the Duette without subs as I had a sub amp fail, and I just wanted to get them on their own.  The bass has more punch than I recall the last time I had the subs off for an extended period.

The image is textured, focused, and palpable.  Meaty.  I am very, very happy. 

I wonder if it might be handy if they were in 24"x24" panels rather than 24"x48", but that would change the design a bit as the design of these are 4' long.  I like the "larger design", if that makes sense. 

They will still be 8' tall left and right, stacked sections.  I will try a "full square" setup in the center, and also lay one on the floor in front of the equipment center.  Could be that is too much.  We'll see.

Bottom line, with this stuff, I feel pretty confident I can handle the front wall very well.  The light weight makes me MORE inclined to try different placement... it's just great stuff.

[PumaCat]

The video that Danny posted today about the importance of room treatments was very informative and bang-on with respect to his sage advice about the importance of acoustical treatments for the room.

I live in a small home, and as such, have a small space for listening to my system. When listening, I  sit in a "quasi-nearfield" setup, 7' in front of the speakers with the speakers placed 6.5' apart (center-to-center), so it's almost an equilateral triangle. I have GIK Acoustics panels along the front wall, at the corners of the front and side walls and at the 1st reflection points, as well.

Here's a pic of some of the acoustical treatment set-up when I had my Harbeths in the system. The Harbeths are also placed 3' from the rear baffles to the front wall, measured with a laser tape measure.


Most of  the panels you see here are 4" GIK Alpha 4A panels with fiberglass damping material along the front wall, and a GIK Impressions foam panel behind the main rack. As I'm limited with clearance between the audio rack and the half-wall it's mounted on, I'm using a 2" GIK Impressions foam panel instead of a 4" Alpha 4A panel, which you can see behind the Lumin P1 and Michell turntable.

The platform the speakers rest on are regular plywood boards which I measured with the iPhone app, Seismograph, as providing the best performance for damping vibration imparted by the speakers & stands to the floor compared to MDF and ceramic floor tiles (the worst were the ceramic floor tiles, which ring like a bell). I just painted them black to match the carpet. The Harbeths rest on EVPs from Norm Varney at A/V Roomservice (which are the best vibration damping pads I've ever used, BTW) to damp vibrations from the speaker cabinet being imparted to the maple Resonant Woods speaker stands.

Not shown in this photo is I also have GIK 2" Impressions panels at the 1st reflection points on the side walls between the speakers and my listening position and four foam  2'X 2' 13-root quadratic diffusers at the 1st reflection point on the ceiling (not shown in the photo). The windows in the room have wooden slat blinds that I set to an angle so they also provide some level of diffusion from the window panes. The carpet on the room floor is wool, and covers the  listening area and there's a large leather couch off to the left side of the room with pillows to provide some additional acoustical absorption. There's also 4' tall GIK fiberglass bass trap on the left corner back wall (the wall behind my sitting position). I had more of these at one point, but they over-damped the room, and I found using just one bass trap sounded the best.

Hope the gang finds this setup photo useful. Cheers.

[jmimac351]

Thanks for sharing, Stephen. Having pieces that can be small enough to place strategically helps - just like what you did there.  I've already experienced moving stuff around.

Hobbs just shared a few details about foam they will be selling.  It looks like the foam is the same as what I'm using and they may have cut them into the 24"x24" squares I mentioned being handy, if needed, or you can maybe get the larger ones as well.   

Not sure if I mentioned it, but the ones just leaning against the wall on the floor, left and right, because of the lean there is a small amount of space behind then for a portion.  Dave Elledge mentioned mounting them a little off the wall, if possible, as that will help with bass.  Could be that I am getting a but of benefit from them being leaned, as the bass got tighter. So, when I do hang these end to end, I do place to space them off the wall slight. 

The rest of my room is so open, I've been able to ignore the front wall issue and still be happy.  This stuff will have to stay now. I knew that before doing this stuff... just had to figure it out and spend more money.

Money well spent.

[PumaCat]

Thanks for sharing, Stephen. Having pieces that can be small enough to place strategically helps - just like what you did there.  I've already experienced moving stuff around.

Hobbs just shared a few details about foam they will be selling.  It looks like the foam is the same as what I'm using and they may have cut them into the 24"x24" squares I mentioned being handy, if needed, or you can maybe get the larger ones as well.   

Yes, I think the 24" x 24" squares will be a very practical size for most folks' applications. The GIK panels shown in my photo are all that size.

[jmimac351]

So, besides wall treatments, I am working on wire.  Wire isn't cheap, and 1M length is up against the front wall.  So, I thought of making an acrylic stand for the QX-5 Twenty to sit on.  It doesn't weigh much, and neither it or the preamp make any heat.  There's no transformer issue either.  The piece of acrylic is in brown wrapper under the QX-5.  With that setup I can figure shorter interconnect length.  Also, bringing the amps inboard gives more space on both sides. Right now I plan to mill some aluminum legs for the shelf and perhaps have them anodized the same color as the amps.  I think acrylic and aluminum may work well, look good.  Or, I may change my mind.

Not sure if I will worry about hanging the center one on the TV, and I think that size is good.  That 24"x48" piece only weighs a little over 2.5lbs and it just sits right there.  No issue.









And, by the way... this stuff sounds goooooooooooooooooood. I also know how to get close to it for a lot less. 

I could not be happier with this setup right now.

[jmimac351]

So, this room thing has been a bit of a grind, thinking about what will work and what I will be "happy" with.  The thing is, my Big Room is where we live.  It's the room she walks thru when music is playing... and I have to hop up to go pull her another shot of espresso - while the tunes are still playing.  It's the room I can hear well enough in the office around the corner so I can have music playing but still be able to take a call without doing anything. 

I don't want to be in a cave in the back of the house.  I want to be in Our Room. 

Then yesterday I had an idea --> "How about if we put French doors there so I can close them and pull the speakers off the wall.  We can have nice ones made even."

I thought it was genius! 

Then, She had an even better idea... (it was like the little Speaker Angel Gnome came down to visit...) 

"Why don't you just hang up those curtains I've had for years that we haven't used and you can just take them down and move the speakers if we have company come over?"

No... it was NOT a Jedi Mind Trick.  In fact, she was already headed for the closet where the curtains were stashed from being bought years ago for this EXACT purpose (little did we know then  ).  Turns out it was a wise investment, I don't recall my opinion at the time. 

You see... it's real important "people" (me) don't think it's okay to walk behind the speaker thru that space.  It needs to be a no-go zone and walk around.

And - This Changes Everything. 

I have a TON of these panels (I thought I was going to do a second room).  I can easily have 8' tall "Mr T" diffusion on the front wall going across as wide as I (she) wants. 

I can pull speakers 6' out into the room.  This will mean new furniture - which she wants anyway!.... Yep, I'm a hero! 

Sharing in case maybe after being used to how things are because "it's been that way for 20 years", maybe a curtain rod and some curtains can create a transformative experience. 

And, Yes... the speakers are 5' into the room, setup my usual 10 degree off axis with laser... they are INVISIBLE. 

I get it.  Now I got it - Very Happy.

Now... floors, paint, treatments mounted / finished off, new furniture.... and some Epiphany 20/21 Line Arrays.  What this does is also put things like NX-Treme in play. 

One day I am going to convince Danny to build a BIGLY multi-driver, narrow baffle speaker that stands on its own and plays below 30hz - PASSIVE.  Rhymes with "Sasha"...